Attacker – The Second Coming

Originally released in 1988, The Second Coming was the second album (obviously) from New Jersey-based heavy metal band Attacker, and the first to feature vocalist John Leone (RIP). At the time, this band would have fallen into the power metal category, but now the apt term is traditional heavy metal. Either way, The Second Coming has a classic metal sound.

Like most American power metal bands at the time, Attacker builds on the foundation established by British metal pioneers Iron Maiden and Judas Priest (with a fair share of Accept thrown in for good measure). The Second Coming has all the signature elements - galloping leads, headbanging rhythms, plenty of melody, high-pitched vocals and apocalyptic fantasy-based lyrics. The band never really crossed into thrash territory, but there's some sweet high-speed riffing here that will get the blood pumping. Leone (who died just a few years after this album was released) had a great, Halford-inspired vocal style that really suited this kind of music. Overall, the album is quite strong, however with just eight songs (and one of those a brief instrumental) it's over before you know it. The flip side of that is there's really no filler.

Between label issues and changing musical tastes (specifically the influx of thrash bands), The Second Coming came and went without much notice. It's a shame, because it really is a very strong album and a great example of that late `80s American power metal sound. If you're a fan of bands like Jag Panzer, Agent Steel, Apocrypha, Savage Grace and Ded Engine, you will definitely want to check out Attacker, and the reissue of The Second Coming is a great place to start.

Reissue Notes: Sentinel Steel's 1999 reissue of The Second Coming features digitally remastered sound, three bonus tracks (demo versions of songs on the album), new cover artwork and a loaded booklet full of rare photos, lyrics, a band bio and the original cover artwork. It's a first class reissue, and makes this unearthed gem even more impressive.